Beekeepers on Tuesday welcomed a new law that bans use of the term ‘filtered honey’, mandates clear labelling of country-of-origin percentages and redefines confectionery honey to prevent consumer confusion.

The health services of the health ministry submitted amendments, which were passed last Thursday, introducing stricter honey labelling laws aligned with EU directives.

The new 2025 Honey Regulations law will take effect on June 13.

“Consumers think that the products they buy contain honey, unaware that they contain a liquid substance, with a sweetener and a little aroma,” president of the beekeepers’ association Polydoros Costas said referring to pre-packaged sweets like melomakarona, which contain a honey mixture.

He pointed out that ‘honey mixture’ and ‘filtered honey’ products currently available do not constitute true honey products.

According to the bill, importers must now clearly indicate both the country of origin and the percentage of honey in any mixture on product labels to avoid misleading consumers.

The bill also removes the term ‘filtered honey’ from all labelling, defining it as honey that has undergone filtration to remove natural elements such as pollen, which is undesirable for consumption.

FInally, the bill broadens the definition of confectionery honey, to include honey from which foreign inorganic or organic substances and large amounts of pollen have been removed, which reflect lower quality products.

Honey producers have six months to obtain the necessary supplier information to update labels, with the health services tasked with monitoring compliance after June 14.